Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
It's funny- I've taken MSContin for 14 years and never thought about how it works. I know a bit about it- that it is the long-acting form of morphine and it is supposed to last 8-12 hours. (Never lasted past 6 with me, even at the start!) I know that if a pill is crushed or broken I must flush it. That has happened many times over the years, as one brand comes in a nice little tiny pill with coating so it can't crumble or be broken, but the one I've gotten lately (must be generic) comes as an oval pill and leaves orange powder on my fingers. It disintegrated when I was in Cancun and Aruba, and that was in the hotel room safe! I guess the humidity got to it. So I've been overly anal about never taking a broken tablet, even if only a tiny chip was in it. I always thought it would not work properly and make the medication release all at once and kill me. No, I'm not being melodramatic- I really thought that. Still won't take one if it's cracked or crumbly. But thank God the new ones are tiny white dots, not crumbling orange ovals.
ANYWAY. I'm switching from one dose to another and just began to wonder how it works. Does it just release tiny bits of morphine over 12 hours? Like, my 60mg would release 10mg every hour for 6 hours? Or 5mg every hour for 12?
I understand the MSIR- it's 30mg released right away. So since I am switching to more long acting and less short acting, will I be more tired during the day? 100mg is 40mg more than I'm used to, but I'm taking 5 less MSIR a day. It SOUNDS better- less pills to worry about. But will it still kill the pain?
When I 1st started taking MSContin I thought that it was releasing 60mg of morphine into my bloodstream every hour. I was terrified. But it couldn't do that or we'd overdose and certainly wouldn't need the MSIR.
Forgive my insomniac ramblings- but I am curious. I'm waiting till Saturday to start b/c I don't want to be alone with my son if it doesn't work, or if it makes me sleepy. Doubt it as I've taken it for 14 years, but still. I'm so anal about my meds. I make sure I put them in a pillbox in the morning and write down each dose as I take it so there's no question as to when I took the pills and what my pain level was at the time. In all these years I've never made a mistake. Now I'm starting a whole new regime and I'm hoping it works. I'm not even sure when to take the MSIR (now one tablet and not two).
I'll figure it out, but if anyone here understands how it works, I would love to finally know. The long-acting SOUNDS good, but it IS confusing!
ANYWAY. I'm switching from one dose to another and just began to wonder how it works. Does it just release tiny bits of morphine over 12 hours? Like, my 60mg would release 10mg every hour for 6 hours? Or 5mg every hour for 12?
I understand the MSIR- it's 30mg released right away. So since I am switching to more long acting and less short acting, will I be more tired during the day? 100mg is 40mg more than I'm used to, but I'm taking 5 less MSIR a day. It SOUNDS better- less pills to worry about. But will it still kill the pain?
When I 1st started taking MSContin I thought that it was releasing 60mg of morphine into my bloodstream every hour. I was terrified. But it couldn't do that or we'd overdose and certainly wouldn't need the MSIR.
Forgive my insomniac ramblings- but I am curious. I'm waiting till Saturday to start b/c I don't want to be alone with my son if it doesn't work, or if it makes me sleepy. Doubt it as I've taken it for 14 years, but still. I'm so anal about my meds. I make sure I put them in a pillbox in the morning and write down each dose as I take it so there's no question as to when I took the pills and what my pain level was at the time. In all these years I've never made a mistake. Now I'm starting a whole new regime and I'm hoping it works. I'm not even sure when to take the MSIR (now one tablet and not two).
I'll figure it out, but if anyone here understands how it works, I would love to finally know. The long-acting SOUNDS good, but it IS confusing!
I know my patch says it gives relief for 72 hours and I just started taking it and it does not, I wonder who gives this info(studies) are they real CP patients I would bet not we would be like no way it is shorter. Do they say this so they can be classified with the long term meds and charge more, who knows the politics of it.
It is statistical based on the human trials. Just like those who wake up on the OR table, there are those for who one "Advil" will knock them out totally. (I have one of each in my family. LOTS OF FUN when they had wisdom teeth removed.)
Anyway, the human trials include a broad spectrum of people. Then they take the average and account for a safety factor to try to ensure that no one dies from a trial dose and come up with a dosing schedule suggestion.
Just like a "curved grade" in school, this throws the curve in favor of those with a really low tolerance. No one should be afraid to die just because they need pain medicaiton after surgery.
IMHO, the problems come when people abuse others by taking it for things other than pain. That leads to a need to prosecute. That leads to hard and fast rules with strick limitations to allow for prosecution and punishment. We get caught up in that.
I believe there are no "victimless" crimes. What we do, even behind closed doors when no one sees, will eventually effect someone else's life. This is a classic example. Medication lasts only 6 hours. But someone has a low tolerance, others misused it and we end up paying for their crimes.
So basically, the politics is that the govt needs a black and white line over which people are commiting a crime. That is understandable. It is just another example of man's inhumanity to man.
Late last year after becoming sick on the new OP Oxycontin, my doctor put me on Kadian which comes in a capsule form vs a pill form.
It is a Morphine long acting pill and I've found it to be the only one that does last every bit of 12 hours or more after all these years in CP & having to take these types of meds.
Even my doctor feels it's safer than MS Contin in the way it's delivered through the system as the capsule can be opened per not only my doctor's instructions but also the pharmacy papers that come with it as it has "pellets" inside that are also time released. I've never had to open one of them up and take them via the capsule.
If you have any problems, you may want to bring this up as an alternative option & see if it also lasts longer in your system than the MS Contin.
I've been truly amazed by the way this med works yet I did have to go from the equivalent of 40mgs of Oxy ER to 70/80mgs of Kadian.
I don't feel you are being anal at all; you are being very responsible and knowledgeable which to have a healthy fear of any of the meds we are on is a good thing; not bad.
I hope this helps
UGH! I HATE complaining!!!
proceeded to crumble like a ton of bricks, and slept for 14 hours, after
which I decided to rather live with the pain than be comatose... And,
actually, it didn't really put much of a dent in pain either.. Your friend,
tooth2k